Gravity
by Chibi Koneko
Summary: When Usagi was sent to an alternate past to find her future self, she never imagined it was all part of a plot to set her up with the Lord of the Western Lands.


Used to be known as _And I Thought My Family Was Weird_. Some parts of this story may seem very different from the original. I'm sorry, but I couldn't finish that version the way it was. I started editing, and this is what came out – one of the reasons it took so long; I couldn't decide whether to keep all the changes or try to work more with the old story.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the majority of characters, which come from Inuyasha and Sailor Moon, and I don't own the minority, which come from Fushigi Yuugi (Taitsukun, Nyan-Nyans, Tamahome, Miaka) and Gundam Wing (Hiiro and Ririna). Firefly is the baby of Joss Whedon and an awesome series. Go watch it. Now.

IMPORTANT: Chibi-Chibi takes the place of Rin.

In the first incarnation of this story, Chibi-Chibi was Usagi's second daughter. Here, though, she is still the very-far-future Sailor Moon (Sailor Cosmos), like in the manga. Chibi-Chibi appears to be three, and Usagi is nineteen. Kagome is fifteen, Sango eighteen, Miroku nineteen, Inuyasha two hundred, Kaede about sixty. Sesshoumaru's age will be revealed later.

WARNING: There are one or three spoilers for Fushigi Yuugi here, so don't bother me with complaints of how I ruined the series for you. Consider this a heads-up. Spoilers for Inuyasha through Rin. Sailor Moon: entire series, really.

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**Gravity**

Gravitation is a natural phenomenon by which objects with mass attract one another. -Gravitation, Wikipedia  
It's the thing that makes you fall. -Merlin, The Sword in the Stone

_Part One: Special Relativity_

The laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion relative to one another. -Special Relativity, Wikipedia

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In retrospect, Sesshoumaru – the Lord of the Western Lands and Sengoku Jidai's Most Eligible Bachelor – could have left the child dead from wolf bites and claw marks. He probably had been disgusted by the meaningless killing; the wolves did not eat the girl, after all. Perhaps he could have revived her only, leaving her at the next village. He knew, however, that the villagers would quickly dispatch a "demon child," no matter how human her heritage. How short-sighted.

As was usual during these travels through his lands, Sesshoumaru ignored the chattering – arguing and complaining, that is – behind him. Which is to say, he ignored Jaken. Chibi's giggles, however, he heard. Her cries, too, but those were much more rare. Almost as rare as Sesshoumaru's moments of softness.

Which, of course, were few and far between. Barring every moment he spent with Chibi-Chibi, at least.

///////

In retrospect, Chibi-Chibi – also known as Sailor Cosmos, Moon Princess, Queen of Stars, Light of Hope, and Supreme Protector of the Universe – could have destroyed the wolves with a mere thought. She probably had been distracted by the deaths around her. She could have even transported herself to a new location. Really, though, she wanted to set up her alternate past self with this bishounen. Silly Minako rubbing off on her.

Of course, it did not help that she was stuck in her miniature form until she finished the task the Fates asked (more like demanded) she undertake. They were such romantics at heart, although there were much easier ways to accomplish their goals. For example: dropping _Usagi_ into Sengoku Jidai instead of her future self. Honestly.

///////

Usagi sighed. She really needed a break soon, some sort of vacation. She and Mamoru had broken up three weeks ago. The decision was made by mutual agreement: Mamoru thought Usagi was too immature, and she found him too boring. Despite Kakyuu's protestsSeiya was back from Kinmoku-sei not even four days later to ask her out on a date; the gender-confused senshi just would not give up hope. Seiya had tried both male and female bodies to try to entice his "Odango." Honestly. No means no. She was _not_ playing hard to get, and she certainly didn't need more time to think it over!

Usagi jumped as she felt Sailor Pluto's presence right behind her. "Don't do that, Pluto!" she screeched, her voice reaching into the higher ranges of audible sound.

Sailor Pluto concealed a smile. "As you wish, Serenity-hime."

"Pluto...." Usagi whined.

Pluto smiled and nodded. "Just keeping in practice," she replied blandly. At Usagi's look, she quickly added, "Usagi-chan."

Usagi nodded her approval. "So who's in trouble, Pluto?" She laughed at Pluto's startled face. "You only show up in your fuku when something's wrong," Usagi reminded her.

Pluto collected herself. "Hime, there's something you need to know." Usagi became very alert at her words. "Cosmos-sama did not go back to the future. She ended up in another dimension that is very closely connected with this one. It's a bit like an alternate past instead of an alternate future."

"How in the 'verse did that happen?"

Pluto noted that her princess had been watching far too much Firefly to be picking up the slang. Not to mention the foreign cursing. After learning about how the creators of the sci-fi series had used Chinese to get around language ratings and censoring, Usagi, Haruka, and Makoto decided to learn as much cursing in as many languages as they could. Now Pluto had been around awhile, but they could make even _her_ blush.

"Ah," Pluto fumbled. "I was in a meeting, and a black hole formed in the wrong place, throwing off Cosmos's journey." She felt pride for that little (and quick) lie. Well, it was the truth if you considered the Fates a black hole, and she _had _been in a meeting with them when the incident occurred.

"And so you need me to go and find her," Usagi guessed.

Pluto nodded and said, "You will need to stay there for three months, until the harvest moon. There is something that you must do there, and it will take you that long. Chibi-chan is traveling with two demons. Stay and travel with them."

"Anything else?"

"We need to change your clothes," Pluto responded, "but I can do that after we arrive."

"Alright, let's go then."

///////

Usagi landed in a forest in a heap of limbs and golden hair. "Hrmphh," the lump said. She disentangled herself and stretched. Usagi was wearing simple clothes (especially considering she could have been wearing a full kimono): dark blue hakama and a white haori. Her long hair was pulled into a low ponytail, held in place with a ribbon that matched her hakama. Instead of reaching the ground, however, it only fell to her hips. "Well," Usagi muttered, "at least it won't be so difficult to deal with now."

Her shoes were not usual for her character in this time period, however. She wore boots that felt like they ended at her knees. "They're probably easier to fight in, I guess. Dammit, Pluto! You didn't say anything about fighting!" Mumbling more about stupid time guardians, Usagi began to look around. She wasn't in a clearing and didn't see any paths. So Usagi closed her eyes and concentrated on locating Cosmos's signature. She found Chibi-Chibi's similar one instead. So her future self was powered down? The danger couldn't be too great, then, or her power was confined somehow. Great.

Usagi frowned as she felt unfamiliar types of auras. They were not human, senshi, youma, or "bad guys" (like the Black Moon family and Beryl's generals). Some were dark, others light, some strong, and others very weak. She would need to ask Chibi about this when she found her, especially taking into consideration the fact that Chibi's signature was near a strong grey aura. Not particularly dark, but not really light, either. And make that very strong. 'What have you gotten yourself into this time, self?'

She began walking in the direction of Chibi's aura, fighting her way through bushes and brambles. She had a short sword at her side – which, considering her size, was almost a full-length sword for her – but knew better than to use it to cut through the underbrush. She might need a sharp weapon fairly soon, especially considering Chibi's company. Even though _she_ knew that she was supposed to join their little group, this other probably did not. And knowing her future self, Chibi-Chibi would not be any verbal help. All people need love, but Cosmos took that to an extreme after spending so many eons alone. People tend to pick up little girls and kiss them, and the kisses for such a little girl were always a physical representation of that sort of love. Hence the little girl disguise. Besides, who wouldn't trust an essentially mute human child to be honest?

Usagi was rather proud of herself for coming up with such an idea, even though that future had hopefully changed. Eternity alone was a rather daunting idea, and she would prefer not being forced to use such measures to receive love.

Usagi smiled as she felt Chibi running towards her. The grey aura with her came closer as well, and Usagi almost swooned from the power; it felt sensuous against her soul. That power was associated with the moon, Usagi decided. It entangled with her own too well to not have some connection. She finally came to a small path (more of a trail) and decided to wait for Chibi-Chibi to reach her.

//////

Chibi-Chibi jumped off of Ah-Un's saddle, where she had been resting while they continued their journey, and immediately began running through the thick underbrush ahead. "Chibi!" Sesshoumaru barked at her, but she continued to run, crashing through the forest. He then leaped overhead, knowing he could outrun the small child. Jaken grumbled something like "baka human" and went after them, shrieking, "Wait for your lowly servant, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Sesshoumaru followed Chibi as she ran along a narrow trail. He could easily reach down and scoop her up, but then she would widen her eyes and "Chibi!" in such a way that he would set her back down anyways. This method saved him the time, energy, and humiliation. He frowned as he began to sense something... Other. Suddenly, Tenseiga pulsed and almost leaped out of its scabbard toward the Other. Tokijin jumped the other way, attempting to get away from that disturbance. Interesting. Chibi was headed toward this Other, but if Tenseiga approved, then he wasn't too worried. He did make sure to keep up with Chibi, though.

He kept the swords' auras tightly confined, knowing that anyone with power would be able to sense them. He did, however, send out his own aura, brushing it slightly against the Other. A primal part of his youki immediately connected with the unknown, and he recognized the power granted to his family by the moon spirit many generations ago.

Chibi-Chibi finally stopped when she reached a young woman, the source of the aura he felt. His sharp eyes took in her rounded ears and dull nails and contrasted them to her golden hair and blue eyes. The woman's clothing was in the style of the miko, but the hakama's color, her footwear, and the short sword on her hip belied that image. Her scent was neither human nor demon in nature. She smelled clean and reminded him of the forest during a full moon after a hard rain in the spring. Clear, sharp, and fresh with a hint of unknown power. Tenseiga began pulsing in a rhythm that reminded him of a beating heart. His enhanced ears recognized the tempo as the young woman's heartbeat.

In the milliseconds that it took Sesshoumaru to make these observations, Chibi-Chibi had thrown herself into the young woman's arms and began speaking in the series of "chibi" that constituted a conversation for the little girl (a habit Sesshoumaru had tried and failed to break her of, but he had not given up yet). Instead of being confused, however, the young woman seemed to understand his ward's speech.

Jaken came crashing in behind Sesshoumaru and gawked at the female pair. "Girl!" he squawked, "get away from that creature!" Chibi-Chibi and the young woman gave the imp identical looks of exasperation, and Sesshoumaru became uncomfortably aware of how alike the two appeared. Their eyes, nose, mouth, nose, and ears were all the same shape and set similarly in their faces. Their hair, although in different styles, seemed to be of the same consistency and thickness. They had different colored hair but the same eye color: a rich, dark blue framed by thick, sooty eyelashes. Their eyebrows were even the same basic shape, although the unknown woman had artificially shaped hers by removing extraneous hairs, but she had not removed so many that she needed to paint them on, as he knew some noblewomen and performers did.

The young woman stood from where she had crouched next to Chibi-Chibi and bowed. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she stated, "my name is Usagi. It is an honor and a pleasure to meet you."

Sesshoumaru, the dread Lord of the Western Lands, blinked at her once. "How do you know me, woman?" He would have called her "human," but he did not know if that was strictly true. He was fairly certain, however, of her gender.

Usagi's eyebrow twitched, and Chibi-Chibi glared at Sesshoumaru, shaking her finger at him. "Usagi-chan!" she declared, pointing at said young woman.

"Usagi, then." Sesshoumaru was reaching the end of his patience, but Tenseiga's pulsing helped calm him down. He noted that it still pulsed in time with the woman's heartbeat, but he was the only one who could feel it.

"Chibi-chan told me, of course. She said that you are the Lord of the Western Lands and saved her life with a sword."

This time, Sesshoumaru blinked twice. "How can you understand her?"

"Oh," Usagi laughed, "I forget that other people can't understand Chibi-chan the same way that I can. She can be awfully annoying, can't she? Well, we've known each other for a long time, and we understand each other more than you could imagine, Sesshoumaru-sama. I've been sent here to keep an eye on her; I'm afraid that I can't tell you any more than that. I can cook for the two of us, and I'll probably have better luck breaking her of this annoying speech habit." She grimaced. "She knows how to talk; she just likes the attention she gets when people try to puzzle out what she's saying. In many ways, it's a form of love." She gave him a smile. "And if you take nothing else from what I tell you, Sesshoumaru-sama, remember this: with any female, you can never say 'I love you' often enough."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at her for presuming that he, the great Western Lord, should deign to feel love, much less declare it, and the swords broke free of his containment spell while he was distracted. Tokijin sent a wave of dark energy toward the two females, but Tenseiga pulsed pure light that protected them. When he contained the swords again, he was startled to find that Usagi had shielded Chibi-Chibi from Tokijin with her body.

Usagi glared at him. "No offense intended, Sesshoumaru-sama, but do you really think it's safe to have that sword near Chibi-Chibi? It probably hates her!"

Tokijin did, in fact, despise Chibi-Chibi, but Sesshoumaru would never admit that to this strange woman. So he turned and walked into the forest in the direction he had come from. Chibi-Chibi grabbed Usagi's hand and dragged her along behind him.

Sesshoumaru noticed that Tenseiga's pulse continued it's matching tempo and was astonished to realize that his own heart was beating in the same rhythm.

//////

You may notice a few repetitions, such as the "Honestly" that both Cosmos and Usagi think when exasperated. I did this on purpose to show that they really are the same person, at least in a surreal sense. Cosmos does not have romantic designs on Sesshoumaru; she probably considers herself too old for him and for romance. Sesshoumaru certainly does not have romantic designs on Chibi, and any attraction to Usagi is not due to the fact that she is so similar to Chibi. Get your minds out of the gutter.

I'm revising most of my stories, so be on the lookout and let me know how these new versions compare to the old ones. Your input is appreciated. Some parts are completely different, including a bit of plot, and some passages are verbatim the same. This was one of the first SM/IY fics on the site. Not THE first, I'm sure, but it's up there. Even though I think the writing was crap, a lot of people seem to like it and want me to finish it. I really want to know how everyone feels about this rewrite. This version took 2340 words to reach the same part of the story that took 1640 words in the other version. Consider the extra 700 words as a gift to go along with the improved (I think) style and overall story.

Like the previous version, the main plot is Sailor Moon and Inuyasha. The side story involves Taitsukun from Fushigi Yuugi. Other characters get mentioned by Taitsukun, Pluto, and the Fates. They do not have a major role to play and are mostly filler and provide a bit of back story without a long narrative. Besides, I think they're fun. :D Especially the four gods.


End file.
